Life of Muhammad — Page 217
sa 217 replied: "If you had ever suffered the loss of a child as I have, you would have realized how difficult it is to be patient under such an affliction. " The Prophet sa observed: "I have suffered the loss not of one but of seven children," and passed on. Except when he referred to his own losses or misfortunes in this indirect manner, he never cared to dwell upon them nor did he permit them in any manner to interfere with his unceasing service to mankind and his cheerful sharing of their burdens. HIS SELF-CONTROL He always held himself under complete control. Even when he became a Sovereign he always listened to everybody with patience, and if a person treated him with impertinence he bore with him and never attempted any retaliation. In the East, one way of showing respect for a person whom one is addressing is not to address him by his personal name. The Muslims used to address the Holy Prophet sa as: "O Messenger of Allah sa ", and non-Muslims used to address him as "Ab u ’l Q a sim sa " (i. e. , Qa sim's father: Q a sim being the name of one of his sons). On one occasion a Jew came to him in Medina and started a discussion with him. In the course of the discussion he repeatedly addressed him as "O Muhammad sa , O Muhammad sa ". The Prophet sa paid no attention to his form of address and went on patiently expounding the matter under discussion to him. His Companions ra , however, were getting irritated at the dis- courteous form of address adopted by his interlocutor till one of them, not being able to restrain himself any longer, admonished the Jew not to address the Prophet sa by his personal name but to address him as Ab u ’ l Q a sim sa. The Jew said that he would address him only by the name which his parents had given him. The Prophet sa smiled and said to his Companions: "He is right. I was named Muhammad sa at the time of my birth